Apparatus for producing stranded cable



D 1970 K. c. SCHILLEBEECKX APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STRANDED CABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 31, 1969 INVENTOR KONRAD C. SCHILLEBEECKX BY ATTORNEYS 'K. c. SCHILLEBEECKX 3546,72

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STRANDEDOABLE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1969 llmn Fl G.2

INVENTOR KONRAD o. SCHILLEBEECKX ATTORNEYS 3,546,872 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STRANDED CABLE Konrad C. Schillebeeckx, Cranston, R.I., assignor to Wanskuck Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Jan. 31, 1969, Ser. No. 795,517 Int. Cl. D01h 1/00; F1611 19/06 US. C]. 57-66 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION To produce a twisted cable, it has been common to take the component strands from individual supply reels through a distributor grid structure in which uniform spacing is imparted to the strand and then feed the strands into a combining or die section which is in the center of a revolving frame that contains a take-up reel. Since the take-up reel is revolving in the center of the frame, a twist is imparted to the strands as they are taken up on the reel and means are interposed in the path of these strands towards the reel to traverse the same back and forth between the heads of the reel. The pitch or lay of the twisted strands will depend upon the rotary speed of the frame and the linear speed of the strand as it is wound upon the take-up reel. During operation of the apparatus of this simple nature, there are any number of forces which must be controlled if the apparatus is to operate correctly. There is first a tension control problem that exists which is a result of the varying centrifugal force developed on each of the strands as they are being traversed on the reel. For example, when the strands are above the rotating axis of the twisted frame, low centrifugal force will develop but when they are at either end of the traverse, considerable centrifugal force develops and changes the amount of retardation that is developed in the individual supply reels. This raises a control problem of varying the load applied to the individual reels so that the load on the twisted cable remains substantially constant and prevent the cable from either being broken or objectionably stretched. Further the traverse mechanism is normally driven from the reel so that its speed relationship to the reel stays constant. As the traverse moves outwardly due to the centrifugal force being developed on the traverse mechanism as it is being rotated within the twister frame, a light load is presented to the drive which is also driving the reel. However, when the traverse is reversed and has to move towards the center of rotation of the frame, an increasing force is presented on the drive and thus the total load presented by this type of drive mechanism is an alternating type of load going both posi tive and negative from a mean value. This load on the drive mechanism can at times be severe enough to slow down the reel and thus tend to compound the tension problems in the twisted wire as it is being handled by the mechanism. Traverse mechanisms that have been used heretofore have generally involved a simple guide sheave that is reciprocated on a driven shaft and it can be appreciated that the guide sheave in and of itself represents a certain mass and this mass is moving off center at a nited States atent ice predetermined rate and returning in an oscillatory type of motion which causes total unbalance to the mechanism. In an effort to overcome this type of unbalance and permit the twister frame to operate at a higher speed, oftentimes a second traverse mechanism operating just oppositely to the main traverse mechanism is installed in the frame so that a constant balance relationship is provided. This, however, involves the duplication of parts and unnecessary parts which provide no positive work output but serve generally to illustrate the problem of vibration of the whole twister frame that is present when increased speeds of operation have been attempted to increase the capacity of the system or apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A strand handling apparatus in which a plurality of strands are twisted together to form a composite strand that includes a twister frame which frame is mounted for rotation about an axis and has mounted in the rotative parts thereof a take-up reel for the twisted strands. Delivery means are provided substantially on the rotative axis of the frame to deliver strands to be twisted and the strands are then led through a tube which is pivotally mounted on the rotative axis of the frame which tube leads to a traverse mechanism. The traverse mechanism is mounted in the frame adjacent the mounting of the reel to uniformly lay the twisted strands onto a take-up reel. The traverse means is dynamically balanced and counterweight means are provided to offset the centrifugal force that is provided by the strands as they are fed through the tube which includes the strand weight and the weight of the tube itself and also the tube itself is statically balanced on the delivery side of its pivotal mounting. By dynamically balancing the traverse mechanism and providing counterweights for the guide tube, the rotating bearing load on the twister frame is reduced to an absolute minimum particularly when the traverse itself is then dynamically balanced so that there is no transverse moment being applied to the rotative bearings. Also the provision of the guide tube for the strands prevents any abnormal fluctuations in wire tensions as they are taken from the supply reel to the twisting mechanism and to the take-up reel in the twister.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view substantially schematic illustrating the arrangement of the parts of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating the pivotal mounting of the guide tube; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view illustratin the traverse mechanism suitable for this apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A twister frame 10 of an open yoke type construction is provided with a pair of end sections 11 and 11' which are mounted in bearings for rotation about a central axis 12 by drive means 13 connected to a source of motive power (not shown). Within the yoke of the frame 10 a reel 14 is adapted to be mounted, suitable means being provided by a pair of reel pintles 15, 16 which in turn are rotatably mounted on a shaft 17 and a stub shaft 18 in the yoke 10. The shaft 17 passes through the frame yoke 10 to the outer edge thereof and drive means generally designated 20 are provided to drive the take-up reel and this drive means is connected to a suitable source of motive power (not shown) and may in turn be connected to another drive 22 through suitable reduction that leads to a traverse mechanism generally designated 24. The traverse mechanism 24 is mounted within the yoke frame 10 and essentially consists of at least a guide sheave 25 which is reciprocated back and forth by the drive means connection 22 and through suitable clutching and other connections a block designated 26 may contain the reversing mechanism connected in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

A guide tube 50 is mounted at the end 51 to the traverse guide sheave 25 and passes through the center of the yoke frame to a counterweight system generally designated 52. The counterweight system basically comprises a central block 54 which mounts a guide sheave 55 and extending outwardly on brackets 56, 57 are a pair of counterweights 58, 59 of substantially equal mass. This entire assembly including the block 54 and its counterweights that are afiixed thereto are mounted about an axis as at 60 by a yoke frame 61 and this yoke frame in turn has bushings as at 64, 65 which may reciprocate on rods 67, 68. This latter arrangement is necessary inasmuch as the guide tube is affixed as at 51 and must in effect relative to the twister frame 10 move as the traverse sheave 25 reciprocates to and fro.

In the position in which the apparatus is illustrated which is substantially near the end of one of the traverses, the guide tube 50 as it is rotating will tend by centrifugal force to move outwardly such as illustrated by the arrow 70. This, in effect, we can say, creates a counterclockwise moment about the pivoting axis 60. The counterweights 58 and 59, on the other hand, create a moment about the pivoting axis 60 directly opposed thereto and their lines of centrifugal force are represented by the arrows 71 and 72. The resultant moment will be as represented in the drawing by arrows 73, 73' and is in a clockwise direction which is directly opposed to the counterclockwise direction of the arrow 7 It can be appreciated that suitable selection of the weights 58 and 59 can reduce substantially or even cancel the centrifugal force moment of the tube 50. To enhance the balance of the tube 50 as it is rotating in the apparatus, it is well to statically balance the same about the pivoting axis 60, and this can be achieved by adding another balance weight 74 effectively to the end of the tube removed from the axis 60 thereof which weight is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1. In actual practice the weight 74 is aflixed to the surfaces 75, 75' (see FIG. 2) and this weight would extend away from the paper and toward the viewer, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the traverse mechanism generally designated 24 comprises a frame 27 which is secured to the yoke frame as by bolts 28. A milled trackway 29 is provided in the frame 27 and the guide sheave is mounted in a block 30 which is provided with rollers 31 that engage the trackway 29 to slide therealong. A multiple chain or belt drive is connected to each end of the block 30, as at 32, 32' and this drive means diagrammed by a single line 33 for convenience passes over guide sheaves 34, 35 mounted in the frame 27 and thence downwardly into a transmission coupling box 36 which is suspended from the frame 27 and in this coupling box it passes around a pair of guide sheaves 36, 37 and around a main drive sheave 38. The main drive sheave 38 is mounted on a shaft 39 which in turn connects with the transmission coupling box 26, that has been generally diagrammed in FIG. 1, which will impart the necessary oscillatory mo ment to the shaft 39- and in turn will oscillate the block 30 to and fro on the trackway 29. The cord which. is to be wound on the reel extends through the opening 40 shown in the box .30 and it Will be readily appreciated to those skilled in the art that the position of his opening relative to the rotative axis of the entire twister frame is such that it is above the rotative axis thereof for if it were not it would be impossible to load a reel which has its mounting axis intersecting the axis of rotation of the frame and which has a barrel of substantial starting diameter. To

this end, therefore, it is necessary to balance the Weight of this traverse mechanism which is illustrated in this FIG. 3, and there has been diagrammed a counterbalancing weight 42 that serves this purpose. Further the traverse shifting weight portion is substantially the sheaves 25 and its mounting block 30. So that the weight of this mass will not interfere with any dynamic balance of the entire frame, the belt or chain or other drive means 33 that reciprocates this traverse guide means sheave 25 to and fro is chosen so that the unit length of the mounting block 30 between the connection end 32, 32' is identical to the weight of the drive means 33 over the same distance or at least it is substantially so and should approach this figure. In this way as the guide sheave oscillates to and fro, there will be no weight shifting occurring due to the action of the traverse itself. In this fashion the center of gravity of the drive means 33, the traverse mounting block 30 and its sheave 25 and remaining traverse assembly consisting of principally the frame 27 and the transmission coupling base 36 and the coupling box 26 taken with the counterweight 42 will remain constant in position on the center of the axis of the machine 12. This is all achieved by proper selection of the counterweight 42 and its position.

It will thus be seen that with this particular twisting apparatus that the mass of the weights 58, 59 and 74 can be determined mathematically so that the reaction resultant on the frame of the moving traverse assembly is zero and that further by proper selection of the weight 42 there will be no unbalance setup in the apparatus so as to cause vibrations. Further by provision of the guide tube 50, the centrifugal force normally operating on the strands to be twisted will be missing as they are totally supported throughout their length while in the twisting apparatus and thus tension control on the supply reels is reduced to an absolute minimum and will remain substantially constant throughout the takeup by the main take-up reel 14.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for handling strands a twister frame mounted for rotation, a take-up reel mounted in said frame, means for rotating said reel, means delivering a plurality of strands to said frame at the rotative axis thereof and traverse means mounted in said frame adjacent said take-up reel, and means for improving the dynamic and static balance of said frame and traverse means.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said traverse means has substantially uniform weight per unit length to improve dynamic balance of said frame.

3. In an apparatus as in claim 1 including guiding means comprising a guide tube for the strands, said guide tube aflixed at one end to the traverse means and pivotally mounted in the rotative axis of said frame.

'4. In an apparatus as in claim 3 wherein spaced counterweights are mechanically affixed to said tube on a line substantially normal to the axis of said guide tube.

5. In an apparatus as in claim 3 wherein a counterweight is secured to said tube on the delivery side of the pivotal mounting to counteract the weight of said tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,920,182 8/1933 Boe 57-66X 2,484,179 10/ 1949 MacCreadie 577 1X 3,338,529 8/1967 Collins 242-158UX 3,400,594 9/1968 Steyh 242-158UX 3,416,748 12/1968 Bliss 242-158 2,904,284 9/1959 Newsom 242-158 DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

